All the world's a stage! Record for highest theatrical performance broken on easyJet flight on Shakespeare's birthday

The Reduced Shakespeare Company performed an abridged version of the world's most famous playwright's works on a flight to Verona yesterday.

In celebration of the 450th anniversary of the Bard's birth, the live performance took place at 37,000 feet before passengers on an easyJet flight from Gatwick Airport to the Italian city.

Three actors from the Company set a Guinness World Record for the highest theatrical performance with their hour-long performance.

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Time and the hour run through the roughest day: The Reduced Shakespeare Company during their mid-air performance

The production took place on board a special edition easyJet plane with a 10ft image of the Bard painted on the fuselage which was created as part of acampaign by the airline to make April 23 recognised as National William Shakespeare Day.

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The airline is asking its UK passengers
to sign a petition in a bid to get April 23 officially called
National William Shakespeare Day.

Heritage and culture remain one of the key drivers of tourism to the UK, according to tourism body VisitBritain, and easyJet has also beenstaging free performances of Shakespeare's work at check-in desks as part ofits month-long campaign.

When shall we three meet again? The actors prepare to board the flight

The
campaign has been backed by Stratford-upon-Avon MP Nadhim Zahawi and
Bloomsbury Publishing, and needs 100,000 signatures by the end of July
to take to debate in Parliament.

'Is it a Bard, is it a plane?' quipped Mr Zahawi.

Paul
Moore, communications director for easyJet, said: 'William Shakespeare
is Britain's most famous author so easyJet is proud to back the bid to
make April 23 his national day.

'William
Shakespeare is one of Britain's greatest gifts to the world; he was not
of an age, but for all time, and I have long argued this sceptred isle
should celebrate April 23 as a national holiday.

Bard's birth: The Reduced Shakespeare Company performed on board the plane at 37,000ft

Plans by the British Council are also in place to celebrate the great man's works in 2016 to celebrate the anniversary of his death. Touring productions, an international Shakespeare festival and mass-participation in a global digital project are all being pencilled in.